Plants photographed on Kyffhäuser
  Home   >   Flora   >   List of families   >   List of genera   >   List of species   >   Dracanaceae / Sansevieria aethiopica

Sansevieria aethiopica Thunb.


Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record    (Click here to see images of this plant from elsewhere in Namibia)

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 1
Young flower head
23 Sep 2008

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 2
Fruit
19 Dec 2006

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 3
Leaves
19 Dec 2006

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 4
Habit
09 Apr 2009

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 5
Fruit
21 Mar 2008

Sansevieria aethiopica

Image 6
Habit
16 Jun 2013



Family: Dracanaceae
Full name: Sansevieria aethiopica Thunb.
ID status: Fairly certain
Afrikaans common name(s): Wildewortel
English common name(s): Bowstring hemp, Mother-in-law's tongue
Synonym(s): Sansevieria caespitosa Dinter fide Fl. S. Africa 5(3): 7 (1992).
Sansevieria glauca Gérôme & Labroy
Sansevieria scabrifolia Dinter
Sansevieria thunbergii Mattei
Status: Native
Description: Rhizomatous perennials forming large colonies. Rhizome long, the new shoots placed fairly far apart, roots typical. Leaves rosulate, numerous, up to 15 or more, usually in fascicles of 3, erect to somewhat spreading, half folded, narrowly linear, up to 350 x 10-20 mm, hard and rough in texture (epidermis minutely papillate), mottled with light and dark irregular horizontal bands, margin red with a colourless membranous outer ridge. Inflorescence a simple, dense, many-flowered spike, exserted from leaf cluster, 0.35-0.75 m high; peduncle with some scattered, membranous bracts. Flowers in clusters, surrounded at the base by a membranous, ovate bract; pedicel 5 mm long. Perianth 50 mm long, variable in colour, white, purple or cream with purple margins; tube contracted below ovary for 4 mm, expanded and globose around ovary, narrowly cylindrical in upper half, 35 mm long; lobes, narrow, recurved, 13 mm long. Stamens much exserted, erect; filaments filiform; anthers versatile, 3 mm l ... (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora of Southern Africa)

Acaulescent rosulate herb; rhizome subterranean, 1.2 cm thick, with orange-grey roots. Leaves erect to slightly recurved, half folded, 2 per plant, lanceolate, 25–32 x 0.8–1.2 cm, acute, subulate tip 0.3–0.5 cm long and slightly horny, margin bright brownish red, less than 1 mm wide, grey-green bands against dark green background on both surfaces, bright brownish red at base becoming grey-brown towards apex; sheathing base turns greyish green, smooth on both surfaces; basal scaly leaves 2, 1.9–2.6≈2 cm, membranous, obtuse to acute, evident veins converging at apex. Inflorescence a spike-like raceme 54 cm long, axis 0.3–0.5 cm across; flowers 2–3 per cluster; lower inflorescence bracts 5, 5.5–6.5 cm apart, erect, greenish grey, 2–4.5 x 0.6 cm, acute, membranous; bracteoles greenish grey, 0.5–0.8 cm long, acute, membranous; pedicels 0.2–0.3 cm long, not articulated. Flower perianth 3.9–4.1 cm long, 0.2 cm wide; tube greyish purple to green, 1.8–2.1 cm long, narrowed above the ovary, lobes purplish green, 1.5–2 cm long; stamens 2–2.2 cm long, exserted beyond lobes, anthers 3.5 mm long; style 4–4.3 cm long, exserted beyond the stamens. Fruit a yellowish green berry, 0.5–1.2 cm in diameter. (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora of Tropical East Africa)
Link(s) African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science
Kew Herbarium Catalogue
BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium
Züricher Herbarien
iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer)
iNaturalist (Namibia)
iNaturalist (southern Africa)
Flora of Zimbabwe
Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie
Tree Atlas of Namibia
Content last updated: 18 Apr 2024


Note: The identification of some of the plants on this website is not 100% certain. Any comments will be highly appreciated. I would also be willing to supply higher resolution images upon request. Please contact me at the e-mail address given below.

  Home   >   Flora   >   List of families   >   List of genera   >   List of species   >   Dracanaceae / Sansevieria aethiopica
Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional Valid CSS!
This site is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 8+, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox in 1024x768+ screen resolution
Last updated on 18 Apr 2024
webmaster@kyffhauser.co.za

Sun logo